Located just across the Ohio River from Cincinnati, Northern Kentucky offers easy access to the bigger city with less traffic and expense.

And when you stay in Covington or Newport on the Kentucky side of the river, you’ll discover that this is a destination in its own right. Families love the unique attractions, small-town feel and Southern hospitality. Foodies can’t get enough of the authentic bourbon distilleries, emerging craft beer scene and regional flavors influenced by German and Mediterranean settlers. And no matter your age or interests, the riverfront is a scenic entertainment and event center for all.

Food and Drink Favorites

Traditional Southern cuisine mingles with the culinary influence of 19th- and 20th-century German and Mediterranean settlers. The region’s specialty is goetta (pronounced get-tuh), a German breakfast sausage of ground meat, steel-cut oats and spices. Check out the popular Goettafest, hosted by Glier’s Goetta, to fully immerse yourself in the unique flavor of this dish. Save room for a bowl of Cincinnati-style chili, though. This Mediterranean-spiced meat sauce is another local favorite served in area chili parlors. Try it Coney style (on a hot dog) or “ways” – spaghetti topped with chili and other optional toppings in specific combinations, or ways.

Learn about the distilling process and sample authentic Kentucky bourbon whiskey on the B-Line, an experience centered around four Kentucky Bourbon Trail Craft Tour® Distilleries (New Riff Distilling, Boone County Distilling Co., The Old Pogue Distillery and Neeley Family Distillery), five bourbon-centric bars and four amazing restaurants, cultivating the freshest tastes in bourbon culinary delights. Prefer craft beer? Check out Braxton Brewing Company or Wooden Cask Brewing. In Covington, go bar- and restaurant-hopping in the German-inspired MainStrasse Village.

Fun on the Riverfront

The Ohio River is a center for entertainment both day and night. Head to Newport on the Levee, an entertainment complex that has both kid-friendly attractions (check out the Newport Aquarium), as well as nightlife, shopping and restaurants. Stroll across the river on the pedestrian-only Purple People Bridge to explore Cincinnati attractions like the Cincinnati Reds baseball stadium, the historic Over-the-Rhine neighborhood and the family-friendly Smale Riverfront Park. Head back south across the Roebling Bridge (which may look familiar as the prototype for the Brooklyn Bridge) back into Covington, Kentucky, and look for the murals painted on the bridge walls. Another fun way to explore the riverfront is with the Cincy Red Bike, an inexpensive bike-sharing program accessible on both sides of the river. End the day with a sightseeing cruise – the nighttime skyline is captivating.

Must-see Attractions

Northern Kentucky has unique attractions that continue to grow in popularity. Learn local history with American Legacy Tours, which offers an extensive list of guided excursions – from ghosts and gambling to underground tunnels, breweries and baseball history. Visit the Ark Encounter, an amazing life-sized Noah’s Ark built according to the dimensions in the Bible, and the Creation Museum, a Biblical interpretation of geological and cultural history that covers everything from dinosaurs to evolution.

Fun Fact

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Goetta, a German breakfast sausage comprised of meats, steel-cut oats and spices, is a local specialty celebrated at the annual Glier’s Goettafest.

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The Roebling Bridge that connects Cincinnati, Ohio, and Northern Kentucky was designed by the same engineer as the Brooklyn Bridge, though the former predates the latter by nearly 20 years.

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Before there was Las Vegas, Newport was the place to be for gambling and other raucous fun.